Music in London

Major arts destination

An impressive if infuriatingly convoluted brutalist-style arts complex, the Barbican Centre (opened in 1982) was...

East London · Silk St, London

• theater
• art gallery
• cinema

World-class opera and ballet

The grander of London's two major opera houses, Covent Garden [as it is commonly known] attracts international...

Central London · Covent Garden, London

• performance

Major 1950s-period mostly classical concert hall

Opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain (a welcomed and needed postwar cultural redevelopment), the Royal...

Central London · Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Waterloo, London

• performance

Totally gay-friendly theatre, cabaret and comedy establishment

Opened in 2008 with both a main house and an intimate basement space to host international A-list and often naughty...

Central London · 6 Leicester Place, London

• mixed gay/straight
• theater

Distinguished opera company

London's ever-so-slightly less prestigious opera institution might not attract as many high-profile...

Central London · London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London

• performance

Britain's senior conservatoire

A classical-music training ground since 1822, the Royal Academy of Music took on jazz and musical theatre in the...

Central London · Marylebone Road, London

• performance

Victorian gothic venue for new music and ancient spirituality

In its own category, the architecturally notable Union Chapel (octagonal floor plan) triples as a working church, a...

Northeast London · The Vestry, Compton Avenue, Canonbury, Islington, London

21st-century mostly-music arts complex

Opened in 2008, this Jeremy Dixon/Edward Jones-designed arts-and-office complex features London's first new...

Northeast London · 90 York Way, Kings Cross, London

• art gallery

Precious recital hall perfect for Sunday brunch

Intimate but lofty central London music venue with a programme of more than 400 concerts a year, featuring Lieder,...

Central London · 36 Wigmore St, Marylebone, London

Iconic concert hall in the round

Namechecked by the Beatles in 1967 ("A Day in the Life"), the resplendent Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen...

West London · Kensington Gore, Knightsbridge, London

• performance